Boston Township

a. Purpose. Landscaping, buffering, and screening shall be provided with the purposes of minimizing impacts among uses, promoting attractive properties and districts, reducing environmental impacts of buildings and pavements, and other benefits. An important purpose is reducing impacts between business uses and residential areas. b. General Standards 1. Property owners are encouraged to utilize landscape design professionals to plan the landscaping of their properties with the intent of creating attractive, maintainable and durable landscapes which contribute to the value of their properties. 2. A landscape plan shall be submitted when any new building, building addition with a floor area greater than 25% of the existing building, new parking area greater than 25% of the existing parking area, or a new loading facility is proposed to be constructed. A landscape plan shall be submitted for review with any application which requires site plan review. The landscape plan shall cover all existing developed areas of the subject lot as well as those proposed to be developed and shall demonstrate compliance in all areas with the requirements of this Resolution. 3. Landscaping which is approved in a landscape plan shall be installed and maintained at all times during which the subject building, parking areas, or other facilities remain on the lot. Failure to replace missing, damaged or dead landscape elements shall be a violation of this Resolution. Replacement shall occur within 60 days or when soil conditions permit. 4. Landscaping subject to a landscape plan shall be installed within 120 days of completion of building or parking lot construction or when soil conditions permit. c. Standards for Landscape Plants. 1. All plants shall be living and hardy within the United States Department of Agriculture's Hardiness Zone applicable to the planting site (currently Zone 6a) and thriving in Summit County. 2. Plant materials used in conformance with the provisions of this section shall conform to the standards of the American Horticulture Industry Association (The American Standard for Nursery Stock (ANSI Z60.1) and shall have passed any inspection required under state regulations. 3. Trees shall be balled and burlapped or in containers. Shrubs, vines and ground covers can be planted as bare root, balled and burlapped or in containers. 4. All landscaping materials shall be free of noxious weeds, disease and pests. 5. Nursery stock identification tags shall not be removed from any planting prior to inspection and approval of final installation by the Township. If needed to assist with confirming that planted materials conform with the landscaping plan approved previously, the Township may seek the assistance of qualified landscape design professionals, including a licensed nurseryman, during the inspection of planted materials, when deemed necessary. The Township shall advise the applicant if such assistance is required and shall determine whether to accept assistance from qualified professionals engaged by the applicant or to require the applicant to deposit funds with the Township Board of Trustees as required to pay for such assistance. 6. Native Plant Requirements. All landscape plans must incorporate at least thirty percent (30%) of native trees, shrubs and grasses into the required plant materials to provide habitat for local flora and fauna and reduce irrigation needs. 7. Prohibited Species. Species that are included on the list of prohibited or invasive species that is maintained by the ODNR Division of Natural Areas and Preserves, the Nature Conservancy, or the Ohio Invasive Plants Council shall not be installed in any landscape. 8. Drought Tolerant Plant and Water-Efficient Landscape Requirements. Plant selection should incorporate drought-tolerant species wherever possible and must be grouped by common water needs. 9. Energy Conservation. Plant material placement must be designed to reduce the energy consumption needs of the development. Shade trees should be included on the exposed west and south elevations. 10. Species Diversity. Diversity among required plant material for on-site landscaping is required not only for visual interest, but to reduce the risk of losing a large population of plants due to diseases or pests. The table of Plant Diversity Requirements per Plant Type establishes the required percentage of diversity based on the total quantity of species being used in the approved landscape plan. “Plant types” are described in subsections k, l, and m below. (Example: If a development requires forty-five (45) shade trees, no more than 40% or eighteen (18) trees and not less than 10% or five (5) trees can be of one (1) species. There must be a minimum of five (5) different species within the forty-five (45) trees.) PLANT DIVERSITY REQUIREMENTS PER PLANT TYPE Total Maximum Minimum Minimum Number of of Any of Any Number of Plants by Species Species Species Type 1-4 100% Not 1 Applicable 5-10 60% 40% 2 11-15 45% 20% 3 16-75 40% 10% 5 76-500 25% 5% 8 500-1,000 30% 5% 10 1,000 + 15% 4% 15 11. Shade or Flowering Trees. Shade or flowering trees shall have a clear trunk height of at least six (6) feet and a minimum caliper of two (2) inches conforming to acceptable nursery industry standards at the time of planting. 12. Coniferous Evergreen Shrubs. Evergreen shrubs shall be a minimum of six (6) feet in height at the time of planting. Evergreen plantings shall be designed to provide an effective, dense screen within two (2) years of planting. White pine trees are not acceptable trees for screening/buffering purposes. 13. Shrubs, (deciduous, coniferous evergreen, or broadleaf evergreen) . A shrub shall be defined as a woody plant smaller than a tree consisting of several small stems from the ground or small branches near the ground. Shrubs shall be at least 20 inches in height at the time of planting and have a mature height of not less than 36 inches. 14. Shrubs Planted as Hedges. Plants installed as hedges shall be at least 36 inches in height at the time of planting. All hedges shall be designed to provide an effective, dense screen and mature height of at least six (6) feet within four (4) years after the date of the final approval of each planting when used for perimeter landscaping or screening applications. 15. Grass or Ground Cover. Grass of the fescue, bluegrass or perennial rye families shall be planted in species normally grown as lawns in Summit County. In swales or other areas subject to erosion, solid sod, erosion reducing net or suitable mulch shall be used and grass seed shall be sown for immediate protection until complete coverage is achieved. Grass sod shall be clean and free of weeds and noxious pests or diseases. Ground cover shall be planted in such a manner as to provide 75% complete coverage after two growing seasons. 16. Existing Material. The Zoning Inspector, with concurrence of the Zoning Commission, may approve the use of existing plant material to comply with the landscaping and screening requirements of this Article. In reviewing such proposals, the Zoning Inspector and Zoning Commission shall consider whether the existing material is capable of performing the landscaping or screening functions required by this Article, by reason of its size, density, location, deciduous or evergreen foliage, and other characteristics. The Zoning Inspector and Zoning Commission shall also consider the likelihood that the plant material will survive construction-related disruptions, including soil compaction and changes in grading and drainage. Existing vegetation shall be preserved in accordance with acceptable nursery industry procedures. d. Frontage Landscaping Strip 1. A landscape strip shall be installed and maintained along the entire frontage(s) of the lot to a depth of at least thirty (30) feet from the right-of-way. 2. Within the landscape strip, only approved trees, shrubs, other plants, earth mounds, other landscape features, permitted signs, driveways, and walkways shall be permitted. 3. Within the landscape strip, at the rate of every 35 feet of frontage, at minimum the following shall be planted: one (1) two-inch caliper shade tree or one (1) small flowering tree; and five (5) shrubs. A creative arrangement of these elements is encouraged. 4. Earth mounds, low walls, or other decorative elements shall not be constructed higher than two-and-one-half feet above grade. 5. Landscape elements shall be arranged so that they do not obstruct safe vision for drivers and shall not disrupt drainage. e. Building Façade Landscaping 1. Landscaping shall be installed along the side(s) of buildings which are parallel to street frontages of the lot. Landscaping shall be installed within 20 feet of the sides and shall extend to a depth of at least 10 feet along at least 75% of the length of the side(s). 2. Landscaping shall include a combination of shade or flowering trees, deciduous and evergreen shrubs, and groundcovers. 3. Shade or flowering trees shall be planted at the rate of three (3) trees for every 100 feet of building façade. 4. Ground surfaces in landscape areas shall be maintained in mulch, grass, or groundcover. f. Parking Area Landscaping 1. General i. Large, unbroken parking areas shall be avoided. Traffic, or directional islands in combination with trees and plantings shall be used to divide large parking areas into smaller segments 2. Interior of Parking Lot. i. Any parking area designed with twenty (20) or more parking spaces shall provide landscaped islands and peninsulas distributed throughout the parking area (parking spaces and aisles). The area of islands and peninsulas shall be at least ten percent (10%) of the total area of the parking lot. ii. Each island and peninsula shall be at least ten (10) feet wide and shall contain at least one (1) shade tree, minimum six feet height and 2-inch caliper at time of planting. 3. Perimeter of Parking Lot. One (1) shade tree (minimum six feet height and 2-inch caliper at time of planting) shall be planted for each thirty (30) feet of perimeter of the parking lot and not more than thirty (30) feet from the edge of pavement. 4. Landscaping shall be used to screen parking areas from adjacent properties to the sides and rear of the property. g. Yards Adjoining Land in a Residential District In all side and rear yards abutting residential districts, the following minimum landscape improvements are required to be installed and maintained: 1. Wood Fence(s) i. A wood fence (or fences) shall be installed parallel to rear and side lot lines abutting residential districts. ii. Fences shall be six (6) feet in height. iii. Fences shall be weather-resistant wood stockade, board-on-board, or similar design to provide opaque appearance. iv. Fences shall be located at least twenty (20) feet from the residential district line. v. In a side yard, the fence shall extend from a point fifty (50) feet from the right-of-way line to a point at least fifty (50) feet closer to the rear lot line than any building, parking, or other use. vi. In a rear yard, the fence shall extend across the entire width of the lot except for its point of connection to a similar fence in the side yard. 2. Earth Mounds, Masonry Walls. i. Earth mounds, masonry walls, or combinations thereof may be installed in lieu of parts or all of required fences. ii. Mounds or walls shall be a least six (6) feet in height and sloped to ensure stability and minimize erosion. iii. Mound surfaces shall be planted or mulched to minimize erosion. iv. Mounds shall be located and constructed to prevent storm water runoff impacts on abutting properties. 3. Trees and Shrubs. i. A minimum of one (1) evergreen shrub shall be planted on the residential district side of the fence (or mound or wall) for each ten (10) feet of fence length. ii. A minimum of one (1) shade tree (minimum six (6) feet height and two-inch caliper at time of planting) shall be planted for each 2,500 square feet of required side and rear yard. iii. Locations of trees and shrubs need not be uniform or equally spaced but should be arranged to promote effective buffering of residential areas and attractive appearance. h. Miscellaneous 1. Waste Receptacles/Dumpsters i. Waste receptacles shall be screened on all sides by a six-foot-high solid fence/wall. 2. Fences i. Fences shall be constructed of materials complying with Section 513 except as provided in subsections ii and iii below. ii. Retaining walls shall be stone, masonry wall systems, or brick. iii. Chain link fences shall only be permitted in the side and rear yards of lots, but not in yards which abut a residential district. iv. Fences shall not exceed six (6) feet in height.